Kitchen Remodeling Ideas For Aging In Place

5 Changes That Make Kitchens Easier & Safer To Use

Climbing stairs, preparing meals, washing dishes, showering/bathing, and performing other daily tasks become harder to accomplish as we age. Add in a health complication or disability and life gets even more difficult. For those who wish to age in place or live-in place despite the challenges, home modifications are a game changer. In this article, we’re going to take a closer look at kitchen remodeling ideas that make it easier to remain at home despite an advanced age or physical hardship.

Increase open floor space

Canes, walkers, and wheelchairs are lifesavers in some cases but they can also create other issues -such as limiting the space to move around. A kitchen with little floor space will not provide enough room for a person and their mobility aid to easily and safely move around AND prepare meals. By increasing the square footage and making the kitchen more open, elderly and disabled individuals and their mobility aids or home health aides will have an easier time of it.

Widen doorways into the kitchen

We’ve mentioned widening doorways in a previous home modification blog but this bears repeating as imperative that an elderly or disabled person can pass through doorways with ease. Most doorways are 23 to 27 inches wide leaving little room for a wheelchair or walker to pass through. By widening the space to at least 32 inches, folks who use mobility aids can move from another room to the kitchen without struggling to fit through a tight passage.

Improve kitchen lighting

Poor lighting in a kitchen can lead to injury and/or the inability to use the kitchen properly. While natural light is great to have in the kitchen especially for those whose eyesight is less than 20/20, improving kitchen lighting might be an easier and less expensive home modification than say installing windows.  Positioning better lighting overhead, under cabinets, and providing light to work areas that tend to have less light affords those with poor eyesight a better environment for completing kitchen tasks including chopping veggies and cooking on the stovetop.

Going a bit further with the kitchen lighting, adjusting the height of light switches (think lower on the wall for the wheelchair bound) and/or installing motion-sensor lighting will greatly improve the safety and functionality of the kitchen.

Install multi-level kitchen countertops

The standard height for a kitchen countertop is 36”; unfortunately, not everyone can reach or use them with ease. A kitchen that is designed for aging in place or living in place should include multilevel countertops for increased maneuverability. A configuration of countertops that range in height from 30” (for those who need to sit or are confined to a wheelchair) to 42” (for those who find standing more comfortable) is a great way to make kitchen work more enjoyable and of course, safer.

Make kitchen cabinets easier to access

Kitchen cabinets are an integral part of any kitchen but if they’re too high or even too low, they become useless. They can also become an incredible safety hazard – lifting heavy items from shelves overhead or bending over too far to reach an item shoved in the back of a lower cabinet. The potential for injury… well we’d prefer not to think about it too much.  Make upper cabinetry easier to access by adjusting the height (mount upper cabinets at least three inches lower than the conventional height) and installing pull-down shelves. For lower cabinets, we recommend installing pull-out shelves and/or lazy susans. You might also consider toe kicks underneath lower ones to give room for wheelchairs.

Greater Birmingham kitchen remodeling pros

At Serve One Construction, we’ve been remodeling kitchens in Hoover, Mountain Brook and throughout the Greater Birmingham metro area for more than 10 years and are ready to help you or your loved one make their kitchen safer and easier to use! Well-versed in ADA compliant installations, our locally owned and family-operated home improvement company will work with you every step of the way to ensure your complete satisfaction with the project.  Contact us today to schedule an on-site consultation!